A Gift Horse: A Christmas Carousel Story

So many great details to enjoy in this cozy holiday story! I loved Houdini, the beagle who lives up to his name, Luke's passion for figuring out mechanics and restoring almost obsolete items, and Gwen's determination to make a new life and place for herself in Christmas Town. As this is part of a collection, there are characters I could tell were significant, but I didn't have all of their story. That's good and bad, in a way, since I don't like when there are spoilers or info-dumps, but I also appreciate when the secondary characters are placed in the story in a meaningful way, and not just an unfamiliar cameo. I suppose I felt like Gwen, a bit of an outsider who is relatively new to the community. I liked how she saved her grandmother's farm from being sold off by her parents, and made an independent life for herself gardening and building her small business. Luke takes a while to warm up to her so he comes off as a grouchy curmudgeon at first, but his compassionate nature comes out the more he gets involved in the town project of restoring the carousel. The romance is sweet and starts with friendship, which I always love. The pace is steady as Gwen and Luke work with a deadline of Christmas Eve to fulfill their commitments during the busy time of year. A nice story for winter reading! I'm looking forward to reading the other books and getting to know more of the townspeople. (I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

A wonderful tale that just happens to occur at Christmas. The dog is hilarious. The characters are well done - a man afraid to trust again, a woman trying to make it on her own, a town that paid a company to restore the carousel but the company goes bankrupt before making the repairs. Everyone pitches in to try to restore the carousel before Christmas eve. So many issues could be solved by honest communication - but Gwen and Luke find that difficult. As they work together on the carousel Gwen and Luke find their first impressions are not correct, but Gwen is keeping a secret that will torpedo this relationship. A sweet romance that will put you in a Christmas frame of mind.

A wonderful story incorporating many aspects of peoples lives. This book would appeal to a wide audience from young to old, those in the music arena, animal world and the world of volunteers. It encapsulates the general 'good feeling' atmosphere of Christmas and is easy to get involved in. A light romance with warmth gives a good cosy read.